An immortal legacy

Pakistan’s chequered history has somehow managed to cough up quite a few personalities of distinction. Confronted by the daunting task of coming up with names of persons of such distinction, the criterion was simple. Balancing the candidate’s name against the scope of his or her contribution toward the advancement of the Pakistani nation and putting Pakistan on the global map of recognition.
With names like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Prof Dr Abdus Salam, Dr Saleem-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, Abdus Sattar Edhi, Sadequain etc, it was never going to be easy. But to me, one name that stood out for taking on the challenges in a hostile environment and serving Pakistan and its people is that of the late Agha Hasan Abedi. (The Sitara-e-Imtiaz was conferred upon Agha Hasan Abedi on March 23.)
A few are bestowed with foresight. Yet fewer could transform that vision into reality. But rare are those who, through the stupendous energy of their vision, leave a trail of indelible imprints on the face of history. Agha Sahib did all of this and more.
Born in Lucknow, he joined Habib Bank in mid-1940s. His rise through the ranks was rather meteoric. By 1959, at the mere age of 37, he founded United Bank Ltd. Within the span of just five years, UBL was the second largest bank in Pakistan. In the mid-1960s, he introduced a ‘computer section’ in UBL. That was half a century ago. But that was just the beginning of a stellar career.
Ever the visionary, Agha Sahib had the foresight to explore greater horizons. Bhutto’s socialist leanings gave him the forewarning of nationalisation, and in the early 1970s he had already convinced the largest bank in the world, Bank of America, to buy 25 percent of a bank that was still on paper. Add Sheikh Zayed’s initial investment of $2.5 million to that, and you had a phenomenon on hand – Bank of Credit & Commerce International was born.
The world was about to experience an amalgamation of pioneering concepts through a banking revolution called Agha Hasan Abedi. It won’t be unfair to argue, that he single-handedly turned the very concept of global banking on its head. He introduced unheard of and ground breaking themes and somehow gelled them into the personality traits of his executives. No mean task.
He famously said, “The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but Real Management is developing people through work”. Beat that. At its peak, BCCI had around 20,000 employees (80 percent executives were Pakistani), representing 87 nationalities with 400 offices in 72 countries, serving 1.3 million depositors. With over $22 billion assets, it was the fastest growing and the 7th largest private bank in the world. BCCI came to be the benchmark against which the competition was judged.
There was an explosion on the frontiers of global finance and corporate governance. But there was so much more to Agha Sahib than his banking genius. He was a nursery of ideals and a beacon of spiritual enlightenment. The true measure of Agha Sahib’s greatness lies in his ‘off the field’ accomplishments. It is here that we witness the depth of his vision, the spread of his generosity and the immortality of his legacy. His was a singular talent. Agha Sahib was a mystic, poet, philosopher, corporate guru, mentor and visionary all in one.
Charles Simmons once said, “True greatness consists in being great in little things”.
That was the hallmark of Agha Sahib’s personality; his ability to give. When Pakistan was faced with imminent default in 1977, a pleading General Zia courted Agha Sahib for an urgent bailout. He gave $100 million to GOP. On his own. He opened a chain of hospitals, schools and charitable organisations in the UK, Bangladesh, India, Zimbabwe and of course Pakistan, which remained the chief beneficiary of his largesse. His charities supported community development initiatives, propagation of arts and culture, research grants (millions of dollars) and education related initiatives, all across the world.
In the late 1970s, Agha Sahib invited the globally renowned social scientist, Dr Akhter Hameed Khan, to initiate a bottom up community development project in the largest slum of Asia, our very own Orangi, a township of over 1.5 million people in Karachi. The partnership yielded a world class model of participatory community development project; the Orangi Pilot Project. It earned not just the two gentlemen but also Pakistan global laurels and immeasurable profile.
In 1980, to promote science and technology in Pakistan, he founded FAST (Foundation for Advancement of Science & Technology) with a grant of Rs100 million. That was three decades back, when Pakistan got its pioneer of IT. It has since transformed into the National University of Computers & Emerging Sciences – Pakistan’s first multi campus university. With his hand on the pulse of time, Agha Sahib founded GIK Institute of Science & Technology at Swabi (also called the MIT of Asia) with a contribution of Rs750 million. His vision: to bring the best possible international standard education to the doorstep of deserving youth. His focus: science and technology.
Agha Sahib founded the BCCI Foundation (now Infaq Foundation). To this day, Infaq Foundation supports charitable causes all across Pakistan, to the tune of over Rs500 million annually. The beneficiaries include Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, SIUT, NICVD, Lady Dufferin Hospital, Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology, Centre for Development of Social Services (a 100-acre philanthropic project in Ibrahim Hyderi), Behbud and many more.
His global endeavours are another story altogether. Carter Centre, Atlanta, Global 2000, Third World Foundation, Urdu Markaz, London and the list goes on.
Agha Hasan Abedi’s global philanthropy was acknowledged by luminaries like Pope John Paul 11, Muhammad Ali, Mother Teresa and numerous heads of governments, kings, presidents, policy-makers and social scientists across the world. Nobody in our history has offered such a global profile to Pakistan, with equal attention to the overall development of society in spheres of education, health, community development, arts and literature, science and technology, business and finance and of course institutionalisation of welfare.
Agha Sahib’s services to Pakistan cannot be overstated. To this day, hundreds of Pakistani executives groomed by him are heading banks, managing global institutions, consulting donor agencies, advising governments, running successful private enterprises and serving MNCs in high echelons.
The larger than life achievements of Agha Sahib, have assured him an everlasting place in the annals of the greatness of human spirit. It’s a pity that as a nation it took us this long to acknowledge that.
The writer is a freelance columnist, social worker, poet and political analyst. Email: hasanwazir1@gmail.com